Online Searches for Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Decrease as Gas Prices Drop

3 August 2007

As gas prices begin to fall, so does US consumer interest in fuel-efficient vehicles, according to the latest Cars.com Consumer Search Index.

Cars.com is reporting a decline in searches for hybrids and other fuel-efficient cars, all of which saw dramatic increases over the last several months when gas prices were at all-time highs.

This is fairly consistent with what we’ve experienced in past years with the ebb and flow of gas prices. As gas prices decline, we are starting to see people searching for crossover vehicles and some SUVs. We have yet to see a sustained movement away from gas-guzzlers. Instead, we find that consumers are reacting to current prices at the pump when it comes to their automotive search and buying behavior.

—Patrick Olsen, managing editor of Cars.com

Keeping with manufacturers’ reports of strong crossover sales, GM’s trio of crossover-vehicles—the Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia—all made the list of cars experiencing a large increase in the amount of search activity last month. Cars.com expects that crossover vehicles as a category will continue to generate interest on the site in the coming months.